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Tag : MD Anderson Proton Therapy Center

After Ben Smith was “fired” by his urologist 10 years ago for declining to undergo a radical prostatectomy to treat his prostate cancer, Smith fired up his computer and got to work.
“I started doing Internet research and looking at every available therapy at the time, even cryotherapy,” the 62-year-old Cocoa Beach, Florida, resident says. “All of the treatments had pretty good efficacy. But then, they would talk all about the possible side effects like impotence and incontinence — except for proton beam therapy.”
At the time, there were only a handful of clinical centers offering proton therapy in the United States, including ones in Boston, Massachusetts, and Loma Linda, California. “I did a little more homework and found that the University of Florida was... Full article

Weekly Web Review – Week 43
Check out the latest news about proton therapy: this week, find out how this state-of-the-art treatment modality is achieving new milestones and helping more and more cancer patients fight against their disease.
A mom’s struggle against cancer
An Australian 31-year-old mother of four young children was recently diagnosed with an inoperable brain cancer and told she had a chance of only... Full article

A proof of concept study from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center shows that the episodic cost of care using intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) in advanced-stage head and neck cancer is less than that of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), also known as X-ray or photon therapy.
The study, “Defining the Value of Proton Therapy,” published in Oncology Payers, detailed findings concerning... Full article

Carin Graber, an English teacher at Bonnabel High School in Kenner, Louisiana is battling both brain cancer and her insurance company.
After two prior surgeries, Carin’s doctor at MD Anderson in Texas wanted to try an advanced type of radiation called Proton Beam Therapy. "I think it's probably about twice as expensive as normal radiation, but quite a bit safer for a cancer patient that has brain cancer," said her... Full article

Larry Zaruba, 59, a retired teacher of auto mechanics at Yoakum High School, Texas, has survived three battles against cancer during the past decade.
After smoking a pack and a half of cigarettes a day for 25 years, Zaruba quit cold turkey at the age of 41. However, he did not avoid the onset of three different cancers. "Smokers can retain damage several decades," said Dr. William Morrison from MD Anderson Cancer Center... Full article

Shaun Currie’s parents learned last month that their four-year-old son was suffering from a terminal brain tumor. The little Scottish boy has spent the past few days in Yorkhill Children's Hospital, in Glasgow, and the nearby Beatson cancer center.
Shaun’s parents first realized something was wrong with Shaun when he felt poorly and became unsteady on his feet. His doctor sent him to the hospital, where he was... Full article

As part of the 27th annual National Cancer Survivors Day, Scripps Health will host free public celebrations throughout June for local cancer survivors, families, friends and the community at large at each of its five hospital campuses across San Diego County.
The programs are open to all residents impacted by cancer, regardless of where treatment was received. Events will include inspirational stories of survival,... Full article

More than 100,000 people will be diagnosed with head and neck cancer this year in the US, according to the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance. While many of those cancers are curable, patients face a number of challenges due to their complex location.
Physicians are tasked with preserving healthy surrounding structures such as the optic nerves, eyes, brain stem, and spinal cord while also treating a patient’s malignant... Full article

Despite some success in treating patients with Hodgkin lymphoma, many patients suffer from late effects of radiation therapy and chemotherapy treatment, including the possible onset of breast cancer or heart disease. A study by the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute shows that the use of proton therapy following chemotherapy in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma has a success rate similar to the conventional... Full article

A family from England traveled more than 4,500 miles to Oklahoma City to get proton therapy treatment and save their 2-year-old daughter from a growing tumor.
Bethany Barsby is fighting a rare form of cancer that developed in her muscle cheek called rhabdomyosarcoma. Only 350 cases are discovered in the United States every year and that number is even smaller in the U.K.
“We thought what the hospital... Full article

Higher doses of proton beam radiation may be a worthwhile treatment alternative for some lung cancer patients.
Radiation oncologists at MD Anderson Cancer Center and MD Anderson Proton Therapy Center in Houston, Texas, are taking a lead in evaluating the use of fewer, larger-sized fractions of a total proton dose to treat early and more advanced lung cancers. This clinical approach is called hypofractionated... Full article

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In the search for the best cancer therapy option, “knowledge is power”. Our goal is to help patients and their families by sharing the stories of people that know about Proton Therapy. If you have had experience as a patient, a family member, a caregiver, please share it with our readers. It will give hope. It may save a life. Share if you care.

About Proton Therapy Today

Proton Therapy Today, the online magazine for proton therapy.
Proton Therapy Today is an editorial website which gathers serious, trustworthy stories and information about the “world of proton therapy”.
As the most advanced form of radiation therapy, proton therapy helps limit side effects of cancer treatment and is preferably used to fight cancers seated where side effects are particularly unwanted (brain or prostate cancers, pediatric cancers, etc.) This type of treatment offers patients a more efficient and compassionate way of fighting against cancer.
However, today, proton therapy is only starting out: its accessibility is still low, though growing, which puts it at the center of a lively debate. Many people, patients, physicians, nurses, physicists, researchers, manufacturers are working diligently to develop and make this treatment option accessible to more...